King Cobra Wins Again With Silver Award

Polin Waterparks' King Cobra waterslide recently added another award to its growing list of accolades. During the Istanbul International Inventions Fair, March 3-6, 2016, Polin was honored with the prestigious event's Silver Award "in recognition of excellent and creative efforts to invent King Cobra."

The fair is an annual exhibition focused on patents, inventions, new products and technical ideas organized under the patronage of the International Federation of Inventors' Association (IFIA). It is recognized globally as being a significant opportunity for inventors and investors to come together in a geographically central location. The fair announced four major awards, including the Silver Award, in 22 technical categories.

Ali Cansun, R&D Director of Polin, said his firm was extremely humbled to win the award. "We recognize the amazing diversity of products that were on display at this event. For Polin to be singled out with this unique recognition - well, it's a great source of pride to us. The talent of other firms' innovative efforts was evident everywhere."

Adding up the achievements

Since its debut in 2010, the King Cobra waterslide has been recognized numerous times. Previous awards include:

Research and development have always been a key focus at Polin, starting with the firm's pioneering advancement and application of closed-molded manufacturing technology for waterslide development. Over the years since, the firm has used that technology to create aquatic attractions that have raised the bar within the industry to new levels of thrills while also delivering numerous enhancements. On the design and engineering side, Polin had made critical inventions.

Those efforts were in full display when the firm initially announced the King Cobra waterslide. The ride showcased an industry breakthrough in waterslide design as the ride was the first to have theming built directly into the attraction - a distinction that earned Polin a worldwide patent.

The slide offers not only an intense and heart-pounding experience for guests but also a stunning design and a one-of-a-kind visual for spectators. The core feature of King Cobra is its unique configuration that enables two double tubes to race through a circular path with twists, turns and surprises before experiencing the drop of their lives as they continue to race through the "valley of the Cobra." This epic plunge, 8 meters down, allows riders to accelerate to speeds of 51 km/h.

Mr. Cansun, described the ride when it first debuted as an unending experience for riders. "The two double tubes head into the mouth of Cobra. Unique fog, a high-pitched hiss, water spray and other visual effects make it more exciting than ever for spectators who might believe riders were 'swallowed' by the snake," he added. "Then powerful G-forces take over your tube, and riders come back down and then oscillate up and down again before the tube finally stops."

Waterparks and theme parks across the globe have taken notice of the extreme attraction. The King Cobra initially debuted in Europe. Later, Polin installed the attraction in Asia, additional European countries, the Middle East and United States.

Today, the attraction has become an essential element of some of the world's most-famous facilities, including:

While King Cobra is impressive on its own, many facilities enhance guests' experience with the ride by adding the special effects mentioned by Cansun, such as fog, sound and lighting. As mentioned, many facilities have also taken advantage of the ability to match the slide to their unique theme. Some of the most notable versions are the Humungaslide at Cartoon Network Amazone in Thailand and a ship-themed version in Makassar City in Indonesia. Other parks have enhanced the slide further with special touches such as custom-designed towers.

The result of these park's efforts has been increased attendance and loyalty among park patrons.

Parks looking for opportunities to enhance their current offerings and create a stunning centerpiece can create renewed excitement among their guests with the addition of a King Cobra.

Polin was founded in Istanbul in 1976, and has since grown into a leading company in the waterparks industry. Today Polin is one of the world leaders in the design, production, and installation of waterparks, waterslides & water play attractions. 2500 waterpark projects in 97 countries around the world have been completed by Polin, and Polin is the biggest waterslide supplier in Eurasia. Working with a wide variety of clients has helped Polin reach several milestones; including installing the first waterparks of many countries and many other award winning rides at parks with world-renowned reputations. Polin offers the industry's widest range of products, including signature rides such as the patented King Cobra, Magic Spheres, Spheres, Magi Cone and Space Shuttle.

Polin is the pioneer in the advancement and application of closed-molded manufacturing technology in waterslide development. First implemented in 2006, 100% of Polin's annual fiberglass production has been converted to resin transfer molding (RTM), and meets the industry's highest standards. Polin offers both bowl rides and family rides featuring RTM techniques. Polin also offers its unique and patented Natural Light Effect technology, Special Pattern Effects technology in RTM and translucent RTM waterslides. Polin is an ISO9001 certificate holder by TUV Germany since 2003, all Polin slides conform to European norms, all steel parts conform to international DIN standards, all designs conform to ASTM practices, and Polin is also CSEI approved for projects in China. Polin is the only waterslide company that holds a quality certificate for all of its waterslides by TUV, and was the 2012 Export Winner of Turkey in the SMSE Category. Polin has a high plant capacity with production in Turkey. Polin's team totals 350 people, with five offices throughout the world.

Polin is committed to providing the best-quality product and service by investing in continuous research and development. The company plans to further expand its L-RTM line while introducing new signature rides and innovations.